PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FOREIGN POLICY INITIATIVES ARE COMPLIMENTARY TO HIS DOMESTIC POLICY INITIATIVES In 2008, Barack Obama stated, in the aftermath of a presidential campaign, which, oftentimes, had the appearance of a Religious Crusade, that he would fundamentally change America. His claim was met with wild cheers, then, and one television commentator admitted that he had chills run down his leg, whenever Obama spoke. Obama’s rousing acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, in Denver’s Mile High Stadium, seemed to offer both hope, and change. Few had any reason to believe, at the time, that Obama meant this fundamental transformation to include dismantling the country. Six years later, however, to use the words of blues singer, B.B. King, the thrill is gone, the cheering has stopped, the President’s credibility has been shattered, and 59 percent of the American people are now looking under Obama’s outer garments, to see if they are concealing another fabric underneath the emperor’s clothes. The thrill is gone, but after 5 years of this administration, the mystery about this President’s garments should also be a thing of the past. It should have been gone, long ago, certainly before the presidential election, in 2012. Johnny Nash sang, I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. He was singing about hindsight. Obama is not transforming America, this man is destroying America, and he is doing it, both within, and without. In terms of Obama’s domestic policies, the fearless Ann Coulter, whose book, “Mugged: Racial Demagoguery From The Seventies To Obama,” should be required reading,” put the issue succinctly when she stated on a radio program, recently, that, if one imagined that Obama was trying to dismantle this country, what would he do differently, than what he is already doing. I will submit my answer, “Nothing!” Since all eyes are now on Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, let’s forget, for the moment, this President’s apology tour, let’s forget his speech in Cairo, June 4, 2009, in which he feinted in the direction of the hostile militant group, the Muslim Brotherhood, let’s look past the overthrown of a thirty-year ally, in Egypt, which took place with U.S. approval, and support, which is, similarly the case in the overthrow of Qaddafi, in Libya. Let’s not stop to consider why four Americans were killed in Benghazi, and no one has been held to account two years after the attack on an American Consul. Let’s even close our eyes, if you will, to the implications of this President seeking to get the American military to fight on the side of Al Queda forces, in Syria. Erase all of that from memory, if you will, and let’s consider what is taking place in Ukraine, and the implications of the Russians not only coming, but already having arrived. Remember, instead, President Obama’s whispered assurance to, then, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in a meeting, in Seoul, South Korea, June 26, 2012, that Obama would have more flexibility after the November election, during a conversation that appeared to focus on the issue of missile defense, in Europe. Obama practically whispered away America’s military might, in Medvedev’s ear, by secretly asking Moscow to give him space until after the November election. Obama told Medvedev, This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility. At the time of this conversation, Medvedev had lost the election in Russia, to Vladimir Putin, and Medvedev promised to relay Obama’s message about needing more time, more “space,” to Putin. It is recalled that, after the conversation was reported, GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, said the comments were alarming and troubling. Given present events, Romney’s response was an understatement. Apparently, Putin understands the difference between flexibility, and flexing. The media is focused on Ukraine, but more attention should be placed on what appears to be an alliance on the issue between Russia and China. Why would China offer diplomatic cover for Russia’s move into Ukraine? Well, let’s discount one possibility at the very beginning. It was certainly not out of the goodness of any Chinese leaders’ hearts. The Chinese have a vested interest in Russia’s successful efforts in Ukraine because of their own military ambitions, in Asia. China and Japan are locked in a dispute over the Senkaku Islands, five uninhabited Islands off of China’s coast. The territory is close to key shipping lanes and rich fishing grounds, used by both countries, and it is believed there are oil reserves in the area, which would serve the growing energy needs of each country. There are three Asian players in the dispute, to be exact, Taiwan being the third. The islands are even named differently by the competing parties. The name, Senkaku, is the name given to the islands by the Japanese. China calls these islands, Diaoyu, and Taiwan, which thinks of itself as National China, calls the islands, Tiaoyutai. The pending problem over these islands will certainly be next, as an international crisis, if Russia succeeds in its military intervention, in Ukraine. Russia’s success will, without question, lead to a move by China to take control of these islands. [Military experts are saying Russia’s hold on Ukraine, at least as it relates to Crimea, is a fait accompli.] There are huge implications, therefore, not only in Europe, but in Asia, and in the United States, far beyond Ukraine’s borders. The Peoples Republic of China (Communist China) is clearly engaged in “watchful waiting,” anxious to settle the dispute, once and for all, with Japan, which goes back to 1971. Although the United States does not have an official position on the merits of the competing sovereignty claims, ominously, the islands are included within the “Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security” between the United States and Japan, which means that a defense of the islands by Japan would require the United States to come to Japans aid. If, as I think the case is, Obama wants to decrease America’s prominence in the world, he will get all the help he needs. Those who have looked underneath this President’s garments should not be surprised to find that it might well be that not only Russia, but China will be giving this President some space. America’s relevance, in the world, however, is an entirely different matter. Obama’s presidency has been a disaster, domestically, and diplomatically. As to how disastrous, on the international front, beyond all the earlier problems this administration has created, keep your eyes on Ukraine. There’s a road, there, that might lead to China...
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 06:53:41 +0000
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